National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day - What You Can Do

A young dancer
performs during a
recent National
Children's Mental
Health Awareness
Day event.

Sara Bellum

April 19, 2011

Sometimes we make jokes about our mental health, but serious mental illness is a real problem among young people in this country. Did you know that an estimated 4.5 to 6.3 million youth in the United States face mental health challenges? These might be about substance abuse, depression, bipolar disorder, compulsive behavior, and other mental health issues, including suicide. Unfortunately, about two-thirds of them do NOT receive the mental health services they need (like counseling and medicine) because it costs too much or they don’t know where to find help.

We need to fix this problem. First of all, studies show that students who need and receive mental health services are more likely to stay in school. This is important because about 11% of high school youth with emotional challenges drop out before finishing high school and are 1.6 times more likely to be unemployed than high school graduates who are not enrolled in college. Secondly, mental health problems can affect many other areas of life–especially social relationships.

This is why SBB is writing about National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, being celebrated May 3. Communities all over the country will be holding events to show how important it is for kids to have good mental health, just like having good physical health. The many activities include programs using the theme “My Feelings are a Work of Art.” Think about that—so how would you draw the way you feel? It’s good to be aware of your feelings and how they affect your behavior and the decisions you make.

Comments posted to the Drugs & Health Blog are from the general public and may contain inaccurate information. They do not represent the views of NIDA or any other federal government entity.

Comments

Submitted by dvds on June 25, 2012

Yet another issue is that video games are usually serious in nature with the main focus on mastering rather than fun. Although, it comes with an entertainment element to keep the kids engaged, each game is usually designed to work on a specific experience or area, such as mathematics or scientific discipline. Thanks for your article. [commercial reference removed, per guidelines]

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The National Institute on Drug Abuse Blog Team. National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day - What You Can Do Retrieved from https://teens.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/national-childrens-mental-health-awareness-day-what-you-can-do

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